Entries from February 2009

February 28th, 2009 by Dale

That’s what our 3-year-old asked today in a tiny, questioning tone, as he stood staring at the edge of the wood chip covered space that was a sand box up until a week or so ago.

A couple other kids who came prepared to dig in the sand at the park near the corner of Phinney Avenue North and North 59th Street, pecked away halfheartedly at a bare patch of ground nearby, before giving up and moving on to something else.

We haven’t heard back from the Parks Department yet, but we’ll let you know when we do.

Last weekend – the first weekend of heightened enforcement – Animal Shelter officers handed out 14 off leash citations, mostly at Volunteer and Ravenna/Cowen parks. Get this: Fines for off-leash, license and scooping violations range from $54 to $162, and can be up to $500 at a beach, according to a press release.

Dogs are allowed on leashes in most Seattle parks. They are not allowed with or without leashes at organized athletic fields, beaches, or children’s play areas. Here’s more info on official off-leash areas, including this little nugget: “If you’re female and you’re in heat, you are not allowed in off-leash areas (SMC 9.25.084).” To eliminate any confusion, they’re referring to the four-legged variety.

February 28th, 2009 by Dale

Curtis Allen Rapp, arrested last March for suspicion of molesting a 9-year-old girl at Small Faces Child Development Center where he was a teacher, has been sentenced to at least 5 1/2 years in prison.

According to the report, Rapp will remain in prison until a state board decides he no longer threatens the community.

Prosecutors say they don’t know whether Rapp, who has admitted to nearly two dozen assaults on kids in Washington and Texas, has come completely clean about the extent of his crimes. They’ll pursue more charges if more victims come forward.

February 27th, 2009 by Doree

6:40 p.m. update: You’ll have to wait a couple more days, it turns out. They’ve decided to delay their opening until Tuesday, according to one of the managers, Erin Streitz. “…we are delaying our opening until Tuesday March 3rd at 4 p.m. Our staff is all so tired from this long week of getting ready to open… we feel we could not give the energy and attention to our patrons that they so deserve.”

Its opening has been delayed for months, but Snoose Junction in Ballard is finally opening its second location in Greenwood on Saturday. I stopped by Snoose Part Dieu at 10406 Holman Road today to get a sneek peek. The ground floor level is the restaurant that’s open to all ages:

And the upstairs bar is for 21 and over:

Both the restaurant and bar open at 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. The restaurant closes at 11 p.m., but the bar is open as long as people are there, so as late as 2 a.m. Like its Ballard counterpart, most of the building materials are recycled. The tables were created from the bowling lanes of Sunset Bowl, and the lounge floor is Brazilian Mahogany from Garfield High School before its remodel.

Keeping with the environmentally green theme, delivery will be by bicycle, but they are talking about later using some scooters so they can expand their delivery area.

The name “Part Dieu” is an homage to the legendary Gare de la Part-Dieu train station in Lyon, France, where Manager Chris Jolles has spent considerable time with relatives.

Snoose Part Dieu has a collection of 650 vinyl LPs (art and music curator Tim Hayes says vinyl gives them a much broader selection of music), and they’ll have rotating art shows.

Jolles says the original name of the restaurant – Snoose Junction Greenwood Crossing Part Dieu – proved to be too long, so they’ll be changing their signage soon to reflect the shortened name of Snoose Part Dieu.

February 27th, 2009 by Doree

After years of hoping and negotiations, the Phinney Neighborhood Association now owns the buildings and land it has called home for the last 25 years.

The old John B. Allen School was surplused by Seattle Schools in the 1980s, and the PNA had rented the two buildings at 6532 Phinney Ave. N. since its inception. The PNA signed a purchase agreement with the school district for $3,050,000 last October, but a lawsuit had to be resolved first.

The PNA’s blue building houses a number of classrooms, PNA offices, preschool co-op and an art gallery:

The brick building houses more classrooms, a Montessori school, the Well Home Program and Tool Lending Library, catering service, and other programs:

The PNA is in the midst of a $12 million capital campaign to remodel the buildings and landscape the grounds. Here’s what PNA Board President John Smith wrote to PNA supporters today:

“Just an amazing, amazing gift (in so many meanings of that word) to the community from all our givers so far, and a testament to the hard work of so many of you (and leaders who came before). The center is truly the heart of the neighborhood and this means that we’ll have it as our neighborhood center for generations!”

February 27th, 2009 by Doree

Singers, musicians and actors are invited to the Phinney Center tonight for a casting call for “The Anarchist Songbook,” a contemporary opera based on the 1999 WTO demonstrations in Seattle.

Seattle School is looking for performers for lead roles, minor characters, chorus, pit band and orchestra: singers representing a variety of vocal backgrounds, experiences, interests and styles; musicians representing a variety of music backgrounds, experiences, interests and styles, particularly percussion, brass, woodwinds or electric guitar (bring your own instrument); actors/performers representing a variety of ages, backgrounds, experiences and styles.

February 26th, 2009 by Doree

Paul sent us some photos of a multiple-car accident on Greenwood Avenue near 90th St., which happened just before 2 p.m. today.

Paul said it looked like three to five cars were involved. He wasn’t sure if anyone was taken away in the ambulance, but he said some of the cars were in pretty bad shape. Thanks for the tip and photos, Paul.

February 26th, 2009 by Doree

The emails first circulated back in December, now there’s a new warning that a Level 3 sex offender may be lurking near schools in our area.

Salmon Bay K-8 Principal Jodee Reed sent this email to families, which contained information sent to all North End school principals:

Quick note to warn you a Level 3 sex offender is patrolling the schools in our area. Whittier Elementary sent warnings out in December. He was spotted yesterday 1 block from Loyal Heights Elementary. Keith Gerald McFadden, a Lynnwood resident and registered Level 3 sex offender was sited at Saleh’s yesterday (80th & 24th NW). You can pull up a picture of him at www.familywatchdog.us. He looks a little more scruffy than his mug shot. Just be aware.

I spoke with the receptionist at Loyal Heights Elementary this afternoon, and she said they had received the same email, but couldn’t confirm whether McFadden had actually been seen near the school.

More information on McFadden can be found at The Washington State Sex Offender Information Center.